Major outpouring of solidarity. While the war has been going on in Ukraine since February 24, theSpain and Portugal announced on Wednesday October 5 that they would include the country in their joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup during a press conference held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
“The project aims to be a source of inspiration for society through football, by launching a message of solidarity and hope”, said the Spanish federation in a press release, recalling that the project had the full support of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. “The institutional headquarters are in Madrid, the administrative headquarters in Lisbon. Now the Ukrainian delegation will join us. , we will come to the work on the ground”, declared the president of the Spanish Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales, in a press conference.
España y Portugal incorporate a Ucrania en la candidatureura para el #World2030
El proyecto quiere lanzar a la sociedad un mensaje de esperanza a partir del poder transformador del fútbol
https://t.co/aTVbv9ta0x#Vamos2030 pic.twitter.com/RIDNjkb70q
— RFEF (@rfef) October 5, 2022
It must be said that Ukraine has already hosted major sporting events in the past, such as Euro 2012 co-organized with Poland, or the 2018 Champions League final in kyiv.
As a reminder, four official candidacies have already been announced for what will be the centenary of the World Cup. In addition to the Spain-Portugal-Ukraine ticket, Morocco came forward, as did a South American quartet made up of Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay. The designation of the winning entry will be announced in 2024.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday hailed a “victory symbol“after the integration of his country in the joint candidacy of Spain and Portugal. This candidacy”is more than a symbol of faith in our common victory“, he wrote on Twitter. “Ukraine will endure, prevail and be rebuilt through the solidarity of its partners“, he added.